Lily Connor was born and raised as a Catholic, but left the church to
become an Episcopalian minister. She is a tentmaker, earning a living
outside the church and has no assigned church although the diocese would
like her to serve in one. Her closest friend, Anna Baneta watched the Nazis
kill her parents for harboring Jews. Anna went to an orphanage and then to
Auschwitz before immigrating to America.

Lily and Anna work for the ecumenical council sponsoring an event
involving the Holocaust. When they arrive at the church to insure
everything is ready for the worshippers, they find a Nazi flag and some
vandalism. Anna thinks she knows who is behind the sacrilege and tells this
to Lily before leaving to take a bus home. However, instead of reaching her
destination, Anna vanishes leaving Lily determined to find her.

EARTH HAS NO SORROW is a powerful work that does not preach, but
questions some of the basic tenets of organized religion through Lily's
crisis of faith. Readers feel her anguish, confusion, and sorrow over what
she believes is a failure on her part. The complex mystery contains
numerous feasible suspects, which makes for a difficult guess as to whom is
the culprit. Michelle Blake uses a missing person's tale to focus on
religion, but never decrees any judgment.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author,
Harriet Klausner

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.